When I'm In Need

[Nailana King]

The shadows danced across the meadow, the grass swayed, and the dry stalks played the saddest song ever played. OR at least thats how it sounded to the shrouded and shrunken figure that stood alone in the dying rays of the sun. Her face was clouded and her hair stirred limply in the breeze as it washed over her. The plague had taken its toll on her body and on her mind. She was a broken soul in search of a cure for the people who were dying around her. It was to late for the two small children she had brought with her to this beautiful yet now almost deserted place. They had died, her beautiful children who she loved enough to subject herself to the plague that was killing so many. Tears streamed down her gaunt cheeks as her heart broke remembering all the things she had lost.

There was no pain greater then burying a child. And in this moment Nailana King knew this pain more then any other. Over the last few months she had ignored her own health and tried her damnedest to save her children. The Elven Royals had done their utmost to help her as well. Not only had the offered her a secluded cabin in the woods where she could reside without infecting the rest of her family, but they had also tried to find a cure. For awhile their medicines had worked. She watched her children grow stronger by the day, only to watch them dying the next. She wondered if the precautions she had taken would have been for nothing. Day after day she would receive news of her family. None had fallen ill as of yet. But with the progression of the Plague she couldn't help but wonder if it was a foolish thing for her husband to do, traveling day after day to the secluded cabin where his wife and two small children resided. Yet she couldn't bring herself to send him away now that the children had died.

Slowly she sat down in the grass and let it envelop her on every side. The meadow was the safest place for her to be besides her cabin. She dare not venture further from there. No matter how bad her heart ached for the company of her family, she could not risk their health because she had a selfish need to see them. She had done a lot of selfish things over the years and had made a lot of mistakes in regards to her family. But this would not be one of those times. This time she'd stay where she knew they would be safe, and she prayed that even her beloved Husband would realize that he was being an idiot if he came to see her as she was infected with a death curse. Slowly she laid back among-st the grass and closed her eyes, imagining happier times when there was no plague and all of her children where alive.

[Hannibal King]

The rays of the sun that slipped through the trees branches managed to dance across his skin as he stared out before him. The setting was beautiful, the elven meadow filled with exotic plants and smells that would make even the vilest of creatures relax and calm their minds in order to simply live in the moment. However in this moment it was just a place filled with radiance that contrasted the deep ache in his chest.Tears streaked down the shadowed figure as they watched the tired, and yet still lovely, Vampeal who sat in the meadows feeling the same ache in her heart if not stronger. The wind touched his skin and soon he simply couldn't stand the loneliness any longer. He stepped out from beneath the trees that hid him and lumbered slowly towards Nailana. He wiped his eyes and drew in a deep breath and when he was close enough to his wife he sat down close to her.

As Hannibal looked before him he couldn't manage a single word. All he wanted to do was hold her and tell her that everything would be alright but deep down he knew that was no longer a truth. Everything would no longer be alright in their world. They could survive almost anything, the deaths of friends and family members, their resurrections, attacks. But this was simply too much. Even he couldn't maintain a positive outlook when he had just buried two of his children. It ached terribly when he thought on how young they were, how truly innocent they were, and how now they were gone. Hannibal moved his arm forward and picked up at some grass thinking the feel of the dirt between his fingers felt nice.

"What do we do now?" He finally spoke and gave an exasperated sigh. He knew why she lived so secluded from the others but it wasn't fair for her to be alone all this time with what tragedy had occurred. He wanted her to come back to the Tower but each time he mentioned it she said her no's nd Hannibal left it at that. But now it was different. She was alone and living through a tragedy that no one should live alone. If matters came to it then he would leave Athan with Mae and come to live here with her. If he caught the plague so be it, it was better than anyone else in his family catching and perishing from it.

"I'm moving into the cabin whether you like it or not." And he simply left it at that wondering if she would put up a fight.

[Nailana King]

She could feel him before he came out from the shadows of the trees. Her heart still fluttered when he drew near, but it also broke. She was dying slowly with each passing day, and she knew that this time her death would be for real. She had already died once but that was a cruel trick her one time lover had played on them both. She had never really died, just forgot everything before her time with Hannibal King. As a body was planted somewhere for the Kings to find, a body that resembled her in height and build. But the body was so badly burned that no one could truly identify her. The only thing that had been left were the few things that Nailana had owned that had been given to her by her family.

But those times had passed. This was a new obstacle they had to face. And they would face it, even if in the end she would be the one to leave them. She didn’t want to but there was nothing she could do, her life was not in her own hands anymore. She was in the hands of a higher power now. She just hoped that on the day of her death she would be reunited with her children.

While her thoughts wondered to the day of her death she felt his presence grow even stronger as he came to sit next to her. For a moment they both sat in silence. Both wallowing in their common sadness. Then he broke the silence and spoke. For a moment she said nothing. Just kept her eyes closed against the tears that threatened to fall again. Then getting her self under control she sat up and looked at him. For a moment she just looked then she placed her skeletal hand on his cheek and smiled the saddest smile, “We be glad that their suffering is over. We mourn them, we move on, we look for a cure to protect what’s left of our family, and we make sure that my last days are made to remember. Arinna and Junior are in a better place. One day we will see them again. WE have that to look forward too.”

She dropped her hand and allowed herself to slip closer to him and lean on his shoulder. Her eyes closed for a moment when he spoke again, she felt the pressure building behind her eyes as a headache bloomed there. “I want to argue with you about this. I want to kick and scream and tell you your being a fool by risking your life. But I also want to be selfish and allow you to stay with me. Either way I lose. I do wish you would think about your own safety though. It will be hard enough when my passing comes. I do not wish for our family to suffer through both of our deaths.”

[Hannibal King]

The moment Nailana touched him something in him stirred. He frowned deeply and moved his arm around her. She was so fragile. Her face was gaunt and her body was growing weaker each weeks. He knew the deaths of Junior and Arinna would do nothing but worsen her already deteriorating condition. He let his hand move up and down her shoulder lovingly just trying to get a grasp of what was to come. He knew that as things stood Nailana would die eventually. He didn't know how much longer she had but he knew she was a fighter so she would try to hold out as long as she could. Before then Hannibal would have to use all his resources to find a cure. He simply couldn't let the love of his life perish and neither anyone else. The plague had to be stopped, he didn't know how but he would find a way.

"Yeah they're in a better place now but it's not fair, Nai. It'll never be fair. They were just children why the hell did they get cast such a burden at their age?" Hannibal shook his head trying to keep himself from crying. "Hopefully though they're up there laughing and smiling and playing with each other. Being the perfect brother and sister and living out a happy eternity." He nodded, he truly hoped for that fate for both of his babies. He turned to look at Nailana briefly before smiling at what she'd said.

"Be selfish then. I ain't going anywhere. Mae's going to take care of Athan for me. And I'm going to take care of you. We'll find a way to beat this, Nai. We'll find a way to save you and everything else from this affliction. You ain't gonna die, baby, you just ain't. I won't allow it. Even if I have to kill every shit eater in the Hollows until I get some kind of valuable information I'll search for something." He leaned close to her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before moving down to her neck. "I love you. You may be the biggest pain in my ass, but I love you something fierce and we're going to fight this together that much I can promise you." He picked her up and laid her on his lap and them simply wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly squeezing gently.

[Nailana King]

She sighed heavily as he spoke about the heavy burden their children had to bear. Truth be told she had wondered the same thing. What despicable act had her two lovely children done to deserve what they had been given? She knew deep down it was nothing. Fate had just dealt them a cruel hand yet again. And it was still not over. Soon she would pass away into that land of nothingness. She hoped that her passing would be quick when it did come, so her family would not have to suffer the final days of her life. If she knew that she would have the courage to end her life herself she would. But she knew that she could never do that.

Finally she spoke an answer she felt would perhaps soothe some of her husband’s pain, “I know it’s not fair. I know that life will never be the same. But we have a young son still who needs to be looked after. Even if it is from afar, he needs us still. Let us be thankful that he is still healthy. He still has a chance to make it out of this cursed plague.” She reached up and touched his hand softly, “I’m sure that where ever those to are, that they are looking down and smiling on us. Eating cookies and playing extra hard for us.” Her eyes met his briefly, unshed tears shining brightly in the fading light. Then she blinked and the tears fell solitarily down her cheek before she looked away again.

She smiled slightly as he spoke once more. His words filled her heart with a new hope, but she knew it was futile to even believe that she too would beat a disease that so many had succumbed too. But all her fears were chased away as his lips touched her cheek softly then burned a path down her neck. She felt his arms tighten around her and then found herself nestled in his lap. She laid her head against his chest and sighed softly, “I hope that is the case, Hannibal. I don’t want to die, I don’t want to leave you or our family. But I’ve done as much as anyone to try and change my fate. I fear that it will still come to pass. And if it does I ask you not to mourn my death. Celebrate the life I had. The life we built together.” She turned her head upward and glanced at the man who had captivated her heart so many years again, “I love you too. Always and forever. I’ll keep fighting, it’s the only thing I have left to do. I want to watch our family grow, I want to watch our youngest son grow up and tell him the stories of his family. I want to do so much, and I know I may not have much time to do it in.”

[Hannibal King]

"Stop thinking like that Nai. You have to have faith in the impossible. We've been through so much and there's no way we're going to succumb to something like this. We're the King family we'll find a way to survive. And then when we die we can tell Arinna and Junior all about how we kept fighting when all hope was lost. And we can tell Athan about the family he comes from and the wonderful sister and brother who watch over him from Heaven. We're going to beat this. I know we are. We have too..."

As he spoke the last word his mood changed. Oh he still had some faith in that they could find something but the thoughts of all his family's tragedies filled his mind. It was an understatement to say that they'd been through some things. No, they had been through hell. Each and every member of the King family had their own stories to tell, tales of the horrors they lived through and also how they overcame it all. And they would overcome this too even if it meant he had to give his life up so that Nai could live. He didn't verbalize it, he had no real intention too but he and Earnur spoke often of this plague in those moments when he left Nai's cabin and was readying to head home. They had come to an accord now it was a matter of execution and faith.

"You're going to live to see all your grandchildren, all five hundred of them." He managed to chuckled and hold her tighter just breathing against the back of her neck. "Your mother and father stopped by a few days ago to see how you were doing and if they could get in contact with you. You shouldn't shun everyone out, Nai. They're worried for you just like Sal and Mae are. I don't see them often anymore but when I do they tend to ask a lot about you and the kids. Haven't told either about what happened yet." He frowned and looked at some nearby flowers. Tough times were ahead for everyone and it was simply unfair.

[Nailana King]

“I’m sorry. I know its difficult. I’m sorry about everything that’s happened in our past. So much of it was my fault. I wish I could change so much. But the past is what makes us who we are. I can not change it but I can learn from it. And when I’m better, we’ll tell Athan everything. Perhaps I’ll even start writing it all out in a book for our grandchildren’s children. If we aren’t here to tell them ourselves.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek softly, “We’ll make it through. No matter what happens, we’ll come out of this on top.”

She spoke the words, but deep down she didn’t truly believe them. She only said them because she knew that it might ease some of his pain now. She wanted nothing more then to wipe the pain from his face, to wash away all his sadness and help him heal before the inevitable happened. She continued to look up at him, wondering what thoughts plagued his mind. Was he thinking about Arinna and Junior? Or was he thinking of a day when their family would be healthy and happy? She started to speak, to ask him what thoughts ran rampant through his mind. But somehow she knew she didn’t want to know.

His arms tightened around her and she leaned herself against his chest once more. Fresh tears fell down her cheeks once more and stained them with raw streaks. “I do not want to risk anyone elses health. I’ll send word to them, but if they ask you where I am, tell them nothing. Promise me that Hannibal,” She reached up and grasped his face in both of her frail hands, “No one must come here besides you. No one must find the place where I am staying. I do not want them to suffer from this horrible fate as well. And when you tell Mae and Andi, give them my love. Tell them all how much I love them and miss them. Tell them that I’m in good health. Lie to them for as long as possible.” She stared into his eyes hoping that he understood why she wanted this to be done.

[Hannibal King]

"Ain't no point in thinking about the past so much, Princess. What's past is past. We can't change it. And like you said, all you can do is learn from it. Don't torture yourself with the what ifs. All our mistakes has made us stronger and able to withstand everything that's thrown at us, good or bad." He looked down at her and smiled softly. "So no more regrets, alright?" He nodded as if satisfied with his little speech and then leaned back, still holding onto her so that she was laid back with him on his chest.

"You want me to lie to them?" He gave a sigh. "I can promise not to tell your parents anything, but you want me to lie to Andi and Mae? I can't do that. They deserve to know and you know that. Look I get why you want me to tell them that but it just ain't right, Princess. I'm sorry but on that I simply won't budge. We've lived in plenty of lives throughout our years together why do we want to create another?" He looked up at the sky as he thought on all the lies they'd all been involved in. The one that was always fresh on his mind was when Nai supposedly 'die' but really only had amnesia and was made to believe that she was a Nai from centuries before. Gods how he hated that time period. How he hated thinking about that funeral that they held in her honor. How he hated thinking about how there might be a real funeral for her if things didn't change. There were so many thoughts running in his hand that he didn't know where they began or where they ended. It was driving him up the wall and he wondered if there was some way to quell that inkling of hurt and negativity when he thought that this might be it. That he could very well lose the love of his life for good now.

[Nailana King]

She sighed as he laid back and nodded slightly, “No regrets. We have to live for the now. Especially now. Life is to short for us to live in the past.” She snuggled deep into his chest and couldn’t help but think of the whirlwind life they had led. Of the tragedies, of the good times, and of all the things that had made their life theirs. Looking back she would change so much of the things she would do, but now she could only accept her fate and die peacefully if that were to be the case. She shifted slightly so that she could rest upon him while she gazed up at the stars that started to show through the setting of the sun. Life was so complicated now. But in this moment it seemed to be so easy. Even with the death of her children and her up coming fate, she had to look forward. She could at least do that for him.

“Very well, but I beg of you not to let them come here. No matter how much they plead, I could not live with myself if they too fell to the plague. They still have many years ahead of them, I want them to live them as happy as will be possible.” She felt the sadness that radiated off of him grow and change. IT was almost as if she could read his thoughts. Very slowly she moved again and covered him with her own body. She looked into his eyes once more and spoke quietly, “If I have to believe that I will survive this, then you do to. How can I have faith, when the one person who anchors me to this earth the most seems to be steeling himself for the worst? I’ll be fine, I know you’ll find some way to make sure of that. Don’t lose hope now.”

[Hannibal King]

"I can't help it, Nai..." He said barely audibly. "I think about that time a few years ago when we thought you were dead. I can still feel those motions, I can still sense the mood, I can still smell the scent in the air. I can still feel everyone's emotions when we thought you'd died. And now well now it's so much more real. You're like this, and that small part of me keeps thinking of how this could be the real deal. I hate it, Nai. I hate it. I can't lose you, not twice." He closed his eyes. Damn him for being a sentimental oaf right now. He felt the urge to cry but he wouldn't he had to be strong, he had to collect himself again and simply pull himself together. This was neither the time nor place. He had to relish all these moments because soon he would have to leave on this journey with Earnur for a cure and he would have to leave her behind and he simply didn't want to.

"You'll live, that much I know. But I hate that we can't do anything for you right now. You're skin and bones. I'm going to try and fatten you up with a few dozen chicken on a stick." He managed to chuckle whilst simply putting his arms around her body that laid completely atop his own. Even with her gaunt look she was beautiful to him, it was how he knew that this woman, this pain his ass was his soul mate. He knew that deep down she knew it too. They had always been the type of couple to fight and argue more than anything and yet it never diminished what they had... it simply made their love stronger. "We're going to beat this." He nodded.

[Nailana King]

The sadness in her voice caused her heart to ache. The memories of their time apart filled her head and she knew in that moment that she couldn't bare leaving him. Not again. Her family had suffered through her death once already, even if it had been a lie. And even now with the passing of Arinna and Junior so fresh in everyones mind and the longing they felt to be with them again, she couldn't quite accept her fate. Not when it meant leaving Hannibal and their family behind. She looked at him and spoke, his sadness mingling with her own.

"If I die I wont have left you. I will always be with you, even if i'm not here in body. I'll be amongst you in spirit. I reside in your heart, in your memories, in the faces of our children, in the blood of our grandchildren, everywhere you look i'll be there. When i'm gone i'll still be with you. I will never have left you completely. I may not be here in body, but I wont ever leave you completely. You're stuck with me, King, forever and always."

As she spoke she moved her hands over his heart, his face, and then folded them atop his chest and rested her chin on them. She knew that she didn't want to leave him. But she hoped that if she did her words would give him some kind of solice. Perhaps not on the day of her death or not even on the week after, but perhaps one day he'd be able to look back on this moment and smile. Then he could tell their family of her words and offer them the same thing.

She smiled slightly, her face warming with the love she felt for him, and spoke once more. "You're doing all that you can for me in this moment. You're here with me, that's all I ask for. That's all I need. I would love for the rest of our family to be here as well, but I do not want them risking their lives just to offer me peace of mind." Silently she watched his face, memorized every line, every crevice. Just so she could remember it later. She knew what was coming, knew that the delusions would start and that she may forget alot of things.

She moved her hand and played with a lock of his hair, "We'll beat this, and when we do I'm giving you a hair cut. But until then, tell me about our family. Tell me what is going on in our home."

[Hannibal King]

"Nai..." He whispered to her as she began on her words. Oh they were beautiful. Very beautiful but still hurtful. He couldn't bare the thought of losing her anymore. Not again. So he figured that he would try to stay positive from now one. There was little choice as he figured the months would only help to weaken her. He had to talk to Earnur they had to set out and look for this thing now before he felt too emotionally drained and worried to leave Nai's side. "Nailana... I'm going to find a cure. Believe in that much. I'm going to save you and save everyone else so then you'll truly always be with me. Not in spirit but physically. I know you'll always be in my heart but I simply can't let fate take you away so soon from me. I'm going to save you. When we leave here today I'm going to go out in search of something. I promise I'll come back to see you. But I can't simply sit idly and do nothing while your health worsens." At that he nodded he was right, and she knew it.

She touched his hair and Hannibal gave a slight smile before touching her lips with his index finger. Ah, how was it that they could have these moments when the world around them was falling apart. It seemed like a usual thing for them unless there was turmoil, be it from them or outside forces, that these moments could never happen. They had always lived busy lives one of them was always out doing something or getting embroiled in something. Down time only seem to come when one of them was dying or gravely injured. They had a fucked up life and yet he wouldn't change any of it for the world. He supposed it's what made the family unique. He smiled again, sure there were much more powerful families than the Kings but hell none of them were as fun as his.

He moved his head forward to kiss her softly on the lips and nodded. "Well Mae and Van are busy as hell with Mel. She's growing up really fast, she and Athan seem to get on just great. Athan has quite an appetite. I made some chicken on a stick for him and gobbled it right up! You should see him Nai he's growing up fast too. He's so healthy and full of life. He misses you though. Mae does what she can for him when I'm not around and I'm grateful for that. Fenrir is off being Fenrir. Him and Katarine had gone off somewhere for a week or so I think to get romantic, I'm not sure. Sirius is still Sirius. Haha. I can't believe how quickly our grandson grew up! Um... Marcus... well I haven't seen him in a while. Last I heard he and some Demoness were out and about going off to where he had lived before. Unfortunately it seemed like we could never catch up to each other that'll have to change of course I can't let my oldest think we have nothing in coming. Lucifer... well Lucifer went off on his on. Desmond... well he's Desmond he's stinky and annoying. And Malachi is a pain in the butt still. Rionos and Niessa seem a little distracted lately but other than that fine."